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There’s a fine line in the Big Brother household of playing the game and being able to do it covertly enough that you’re not on anyone’s radar. We see it year in and year out that ultimately someone starts making power moves so early in the game that it eventually comes back to haunt them without the ability to seriously spin things around. And with that setup, it’s time to reveal how things went in the Big Brother house over the past week.
As the week began, the houseguests had finally accomplished their weeks-long plan of evicting Frank, leaving his ally Bridgette safe for another week, but in a very precarious position. But interestingly enough, Da’Vonne, who had initiated Frank’s ousting weeks back, was not as solid in her alliances as she thought, and would discover that later in the week.
After the head of household competition, Paul emerged as the victor. What a difference a few weeks makes?! Had this happened in week two, Paul might have been targeting those who are now his closest allies. But after his initial alliance got picked off one by one, the motormouth Paul decided to go low key and eventually made himself valuable to Paulie who was quietly running the house while the vets Frank and Da’Vonne assumed they were battling for power.
So what does a Paul HoH look like? Well, he put up Bridgette who was nearly gone last week and is so isolated that she’s no threat to anyone and then made his new bestie Paulie a pawn. But what exactly did Paul have in store? Well, the plan was for Paulie to win the power of veto, which he did, so that Da’Vonne could go up. As we’ve seen in the past, Da’Vonne has a quick tongue, and while she managed to keep it under wraps the first few weeks and play a decent game, she’s been slipping of late. Telling James, who is in a showmance with Natalie, that she feels they need to break up the showmances, was the big slip up that put a target on Da’Vonne’s back and made onetime ally Paulie ready to nix the drama from his inner circle. Pulling Paul’s strings, he got the bearded one to put up his former “team” member.
Meanwhile, as the week wore on, many of Da’Vonne’s supposed allies talked their way around the true plan to send her packing until James ultimately slipped up. But by the time Da’Vonne got wise, she was sent home with only Michelle and Zakiyah voting to keep her. And alas, her “ticket” didn’t pan out, sending her on a one-way trip to the jury house.
The loss of Da’Vonne is an interesting one, as Da’Vonne, who once advocated for a girls alliance, was sent packing as the remaining guys in the house began to cement their friendship and plans to send all the women home. It turns out that Paulie’s showmance with Zakiyah and perhaps Corey‘s with Nicole is not as strong as it once was, although James, who appears to be playing his own game, still remains solid with Natalie. As the cameras faded to black, the Head of Household for the new week had yet to be determined.
So where do we stand heading into Week 8 of Big Brother? Let’s take a look at the rankings?
1. Paulie – Rarely has it ever happened that there was a favorite from almost week one on the show, but Paulie is as close to it as there could be. He won over a large alliance in Week 1, agreeing to be a pawn. He bonded with even the guys he planned on sending out the door, while strategically working his showmance with Zakiyah. And by turning onetime foe Paul early on and somehow getting Victor, who he once evicted, to side with him, it’s as if he could make no wrong move. The fact that nobody has made a single move toward ousting Paulie means that it won’t be long until you can ink his name on the big check.
2. Paul – Did you ever think this was possible, especially after Week 1? Paul nearly talked himself out of the game early on, but redeemed himself as a spy for Paulie. In fact, he became extremely valuable to Paulie’s game. In a final three scenario, Paul is likely taken to the finals because his mouth and actions will have rubbed some of the jury members the wrong way. Paul makes it this far if the guys alliance comes to fruition, without a doubt.
3. Corey – For most of the season, Corey has come off as well liked by the guys and played the role of Nicole’s puppet early on. Even though he’s lanky and athletic, he has not shown any ability to win competitions. But if he gets to the final three, he will likely be the one booted as he has not really wronged anyone in the house and could be viewed as a bigger threat to the eventual victor due to his likability.
4. James – If indeed the guys alliance does come to fruition, James will likely be the odd man out when they get to the Final Four. His insistence on playing his own game and often being the last person of an alliance told about things will signal his importance in the remaining players. While he would be in a guy’s alliance, his coziness with the ladies will make his cohorts suspicious and he will be ousted just shy of the finals.
5. Nicole – Her waffling has been maddening and her crush on Corey has hindered her shot at moving forward. With Frank and Da’Vonne both gone, some of her biggest secrets are now buried. But she’s waffled in front of enough people that no one other than Corey can truly feel safe. Though Corey seems to be leaning toward the guy’s alliance, he might be the one in the alliance who branches off if his feelings for Nicole are legit. Moving forward, Nicole would be wise to build her ties with James and Natalie and hope they have a chance to alter the numbers, otherwise, she’s looking at no better than fifth.
6. Zakiyah – It’s becoming clear that Paulie has been stringing Zakiyah along. She was one of the two votes for Da’Vonne, which should be a big clue to her that perhaps her bond with her guy is not as strong as she thought. But will she clue in in time to do anything about it or is it already too late? At this point, we feel Paulie’s allegiance to his boys are stronger than anything he feels for Zakiyah. In order for her to flip the game, she or one of the other females needs to win an HoH competition and realize how things are starting to play out. She appeared early to have leadership qualities, and with Da’Vonne gone, she will now need to step up and rally what’s left of the females.
7. Natalie – She’s well liked in the house, and is aligned with James, but has shown no real threat in either physical or mental competitions. Given that Paulie and Corey have their female partners in Zakiyah and Nicole and that they have a better feel of how the house is running than James, expect Natalie to be the first of the showmances to be picked off.
8. Victor – He returned to the game after being ousted earlier in the year, and his old buddy Paul got in his ear and convinced him that Paulie, who evicted him earlier in the season, was now on his side. But in his short time in the house and by fighting his way back, Victor has revealed that he’s a definite physical threat in competitions. The trust factor is likely not there all the way with Victor as of yet and the fact that he’s a beast at competitions could put a target back on him at some point.
9. Michelle – At one point, we felt that Michelle was playing an astute and observant game and using info to her advantage when needed. But the one part of her game that she’s missed out on is having a strong ally instead of being a loose member of large alliances. She appeared to have Frank’s back, but he’s gone, and her distaste for Bridgette has led her to make some emotional instead of smart moves. She too could be an easy target that wouldn’t cause a lot of upset with the rest of the house if she were removed.
10. Bridgette – This one’s an easy one. Frank was her one true alliance. Natalie is the only person she has any ties to, but Natalie doesn’t really have the power to do anything but go along with the house. Shy of a power move coming by someone in the house, Bridgette is the easy choice to pick off next. She’s a female that the guys can ditch without getting any blood on their hands. The only way she doesn’t go home is if someone manages to put a big target on their back, but almost everyone else in the house is loosely tied together.
So there you have it …. another week in the Big Brother household. Come back next Thursday to see where things stand.